Welcome to the wonderful world of the â€˜New Super Mario Bros.Wiiâ€™. This 2D platformer follows the storyline that Princess PeachÂ has been kidnapped by Bowser, and itâ€™s down to our famous plumber to rescue her again. With the option of up to four players, everyone can join in the fun by playing as Mario, Luigi or either one of the Toadstools.

The Mario world still has its striking bright and colourful appearance allowing players to fully immerse themselves in this classic adventure. Poor Princess Peach was busy enjoying her Birthday when she was kidnapped by Bowser who then took it upon himself to sail away in a giant airship. I ask myself whether there will ever come a day when Princess Peach will not need rescuing. Surely she canâ€™t be that unlucky.

As the player you will travel through various levels which will have you running through crystal underground caverns to the very depths of the deep blue ocean. Bashing your way through the famous Mario bricks, jumping down long green pipes and collecting massive gold coins, itâ€™s hard not to fall in love with this game. As I guide Mario through each level, collecting coins, powering up, finding 1UPâ€™s and honingÂ my skills with fire flowers, itâ€™s also a chance for me to take in the new features that have been added to this classic game.

A nice new introduction of the ice flowers letâ€™s me send ice balls hurling towards enemies that then form into blocks of ice. A very handy tool, if you donâ€™t mind them breaking out of the ice in a small matter of time. There is the option to throw the enemies that are embedded in the ice blocks as well if you fancy.

Working my way through I encounter Skeleton Koopas who are determined to cause me damage, until I hit them and they fall to the floor like a pile of old bones. Watch out for those, as they do return to life. The evil Hammer Brothers were out to cause as much damage as always as they hurled their weapons at me. The Goombas are forever present as I stomp on their heads through each level and itâ€™s hard not to miss the infamous Koopa Troopers as they make an everlasting effort to knock me off the Mario bricks.

The game follows the style of New Super Mario Bros for Nintendo DS with new twists and unique features for the Wii. A player can angle a see saw like platform by tilting the Wii Remote to reach mysterious secret levels or angle the beam of a lamp to see the way in the darkness. Players can use the wii remote to make Mario jump and spin at the same time as well.

Another element of the game has enabled players to use the super new propeller suit in which an individual can shake the Wii Remote to fly and hover and this is ideal when looking for secret areas or when platforms are slightly out of your reach. An excellent tool and handy when playing with others as you can use your suit to help your fellow players. If another player picks you up, this allows you to both fly together. I never really got round to trying that, but the propeller suit was ideal and a great bonus to a game like this which allowed me to reach great heights within the game.

Iâ€™m glad to see that theyâ€™ve kept Yoshi in the game as well, because you get a chance to ride on him from the different coloured eggs. This is very handy because Yoshi can consume enemies, eat fruit and even spit out foreboding enemies. Also they are incredibly cute as long as you keep an eye on them. Many times I found that I had accidentally jumped off my Green Yoshi only to find him making a quick exit off the other side of the screen and there was me scrambling to my death to save him. Crafty Yoshiâ€™s with their loveable and endearing ways, how they win me over every time.

Travelling through each level I discovered something new in which red rings appeared on levels. This enabled me to collect red coins, collect enough of these to gain a item such as a fire flower or possibly a 1UP to help you on your way, which comes in very useful for blasting them enemies to kingdom come. During my game play I was made aware of the â€™Toad Markâ€™ which is displayed on the main map. Toad been taken and squeezed in one of the question mark bricks within the level â€¦Poor Toad â€¦and my job was to go and rescue him. Listen carefully as you hear his cries for help. Rescuing him proved to be slightly difficult as I tried very hard to balance him on my Mario head. Getting through each level didnâ€™t seem as easy as I first thought; in fact it took a few attempts. I havenâ€™t played Mario for ages and that meant I needed to brush up on my skills a little. Finding power ups, enabled me to grow into a bigger Marioâ€¦yay, and 1UPâ€™s allowed me to gain an extra life. Running as fast as you can across platforms towards the end of a level meant that when I came to the Mario flag if I did it well enough and jumped high enough I could then be rewarded with an extra life and boy did I need it.

Swimming in the deep ocean we see Mario trying as hard as his little body could to swim in the water. Soon it becomes apparent that some major button bashing would follow. Tapping frantically on the 2 button enabled Mario to swim along the depths of the ocean. Mario is encountered by dangerous fish,Â that cruise around looking for their prey. Deep within the ocean you will come across water pipes boosting our water jets that will try and push you in the wrong direction and clam shells that display rewarding gifts for Mario, but be aware that not everything is as easy as it looks. I found myself trying to get through this water level with much haste, mainly because I didnâ€™t want to get eaten by them pesky fish that seemed to jump up at my feet at the most awkward of times.

The â€˜Free Modeâ€™ allows players to participate in recommended levels or all the levels from a completed world. It gives you a an option to jump into a level easily.

The Coin Battle pits multiplayers against each other in a competition to obtain the most coins within each level. The levels are specifically designed for coin battles.

The map is laid out simple and concise which showed â€˜Peaches Castleâ€˜. Here players can redeem their Star Coins in order to gather hints and tips within the game. Gradually after playing the game, I managed to open a few levels which opened a video tutorial in which it shows players how to play better and further their skills. Players also have the chance to check out â€˜Toad Houseâ€™ where you have the chance to win special items. One of the games were called â€˜Power Panelâ€™ in which a wall of plain panels can then be hit by Mario and the objective is to match up identical pictures in order to win prizes. Very handy if you need extra items. Pressing the 1 button enabled me to equip my character with whichever tool I felt would help me in my quest, whether it is a fire flower, propeller suit or other aids. Lots of choices and options. The map details each course and even shows you information about Star coins you may or may not have discovered. Also on the map is a giant Goomba who is pacing back and forth on the path, here you will have to collect all eight Toad balloons to receive a prize. Each level has an end of level boss in the Tower or Castle in which you must defeat Bowserâ€™s minions .

Nintendo have also introduced a dynamic system called â€˜Super Guideâ€™. This allows players to watch how a level can be completed if the inevitable should happen and you get stuck. If you get stuck at least eight times on a course, then Luigi will show you how it can be done and youâ€™re free to jump in at anytime to continue play. Although initially I think this is a great option to have on a game, I do feel that people may use this to the games disadvantage. If youâ€™re stuck on a level and continue to use the â€˜Super Guideâ€™ will you just sail through the game without a great deal of challenge? Iâ€™m hoping gamers wonâ€™t use this tool too much as I feel it would take the edge out of the game. The control of the wii remote did feel a bit clumsy at times and not as responsive as I had hoped for, but for the most part it performed on a good level.

New Super Mario Bros.Wii keeps to the same format that once was seen on the NES enabling old skool players to reminisce about the much loved Mario from years ago andÂ introducing new players to the lovable and colourful world of the Mario Brothers. It certainly contains as much magic to me personally as it once held in my teenage years. Itâ€™s warm, colourful and exciting storyline combines great gameplay enough to feel that youâ€™re making a worth while investment in the game. The bright animation is welcoming and exciting and I have no doubt in my mind that it will appeal to most gamers. We think â€™Mario is magicalâ€™ in this 2D classic platformer inviting players once again into the Mario world and fully immersing gamers into a world of imagination, bringing family and friends together and entertaining Mario fans from around the world.

its old Mario and that is all I wanted to see, I got a good fix of that from Little Big Planet so Cant wait to give this a go on Friday 🙂 nice review btw, Im going to be checking this site more plus you use twitter so it helps 😀

Great review TurtleGirl and i for one am glad nintendo has went back to 2d mario as i never really enjoyed the 3d games (maybe im too old skool). This is one wii game i am deff looking fwd to and will be getting this the minute my funds let me. Lets hope supermarkets have some great price deals on this game.